Cotton huller and cleaner



' w. L. HANCOCK I COTTON HULLER AND CLEANER 26. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG 6 1 N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYJ COTTON HULLER AND CLEANER Filed Jun 24. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

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Patented Feb. 10, 19259 UNITED STATES LSZdlt i PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LL nenoooin or DALLAS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOE TO THE MURRAY COMPANY, OF DALLAS, TEX.-1.S, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

COTTON HULLER AND CLEANER.

Application filed June 24, 1924. Serial No. 722,126.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM L. HANCOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of i Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton Hullers and Clean ers, oi. which the following; is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for treating cotton, and more particularly to machines "For boiling and cleaning cotton, and includes an improved adjustable spreader tor the incoming cotton; an automatic teed control; an automatic adjustable and retracting breaker bar and a balanced discharge door.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of my improved. machine;

Figure 2 is a top or plan view of my Inc.-

chine, showing incidentally a paddle-wheel cotton separator and dropper, in a suction elevator system, to separate and drop cotton out of the suction system.

Figure 3 is side elevation of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail, in plan, partly in section. on an enlarged scale, of the rocker bar control;

Figure 5 is av similar detail view in side elevation, partly in section;

Figure 6 is a similar detail view in front elevation.

My machine is intended to be used in connection with any desired cotton elevating system, and I have shown it as set beneath element of a pneumatic cotton elevator by which separator the cotton is removed from the pneumatic system to the outer air, and is dropped onto the feed apron of my machine or upon a belt conveyor, as desired. The cotton to be cleaned may, however, be fed to the machine in any way desired, by hand it necessary, as the means by which the cotton is introduced into the machine has no effect upon the operation of the machine, which is purely mechanical.

In the drawings, A, is the inlet end of a paddle wheel separator in a pneumatic cotton elevator system; is a paddle wheel cotton separator and C is the pipe leading to the suction fan. All these parts are old and well known and require no particular'description.

The paddle wheel separator receives 5 and separates the seed cotton and is gen the well known paddle wheel separator,

erally arranged over a belt-conveyor D, upon which the cotton may be dropped and by which the cotton may be conveyed to any point desired. My machine is preferably arranged adjacent and to one side oi the belt conveyor D and a deflecting board I; is provided by which the falling cotton may be deflected, in its passage to the belt conveyor when it is dropped by the separator and thrown upon a travelling apron 1, moving in a horizontal plane. By the apron 1 the cotton is carried :to the entrance 2, of the machine. Arranged over the belt 1, is a pivoted leveller, 3, mounted upon a hinged board 4 and directly over the inner end of the apron l is a rotatable spiked pusher roller 6, rotative as indicatedby the arrow, cooperating with the apron 1 to carry the cotton intothe chute 8 of the machine. With the exception of the pivoted spreader this apron feed is old and well known, as for example, in United States patent to Seward. No. 744,807. Directly behind the entrance, 2, is located. a swinging control board. 7, against which the entering seed cotton impinges when the chute 8, above the feed rollers, 9, fills. The feed rollers 9 turn inward, as indicated by the arrow and draw down cotton from the chute 8 and present it in a compressed bat to a boll breaking roll 10 carrying projectino' spikes 1O in rows about its periphery. The spikes upon the breaker roll 10,- rotating at high speed, strike the bat hammer-like blows that t 101"- ourghly break u the bolls therein CODtfliIlBd, without grinding them. At one side of the breaker roll is set a cooperating breaker bar 11, pivoted in hearings in the frame 5 of the machine, and carrying projecting teeth or spikes 11? on its inner face, so arranged that they pass in between the rows of teeth 10 upon the breaker roll, whenthe breaker bar is partially rotated, and give additional breaking action when desired.

. The breaker bar 11 is controlled by two arms, 12 and 13. Arm 12 is connected to the rocker shaft by. set screws or otherwise, and is drawn downwardly by the force of a spring 12, so that the teeth of the breaker bar are forced inward as the bar rocks. Arm 13 is mounted loose upon the rocker shaft and carries a lug 13 projecting beneath 'a lug on arm 12 (see Fig. 6), arm 13 being operated by a cable, 14, passing upward over a sheave 14 and attached to the end of a screw threaded rod 15, upon which a hand wheel 16 havinga s rew threaded hub is mounted. The huh of the hand wheel bears against an abutment 17 so that rotation of the hand wheel moves the rod 15 to or fro and correspondingly moves the cable let. lifting and holdingarms 12 and 13. while at the same time arm 12 is free to rise it and when the rocker bar is rocked by the passage of any hard material between the breaker bar teeth and the breaker roller.

Directly beneath the breaker bar is a tits-id toothed guard l8 through the comb or teeth of which the teeth of the breaker bar pass in and out as the bar is rocket. When the teeth of the breaker bar are withdrawn the teeth of the guard 19 form. with the teeth ll of the breaker bar. a continuous surfa or wall.

Below the boll breaker 10 a section. of the screen 19 projects inwardly. this section being carried upon a pivoted door 19 in the case 5 of the machine. normally held closed by light tension springs 20,01 the like and swinging as iudicz'ated in Figure l. lVhen an obstruction passes the breaker mechanisms and lands upon the screen below the boll breaker roll 10. the door 19 yields and the door swings open, the obstruction being dropped outside the machine.

Seed cotton passing the boll breaker roll 10 is received by the first of a series o spiked rollers 21. arranged over screens 22. by which the seed cotton is urged over the screens 22 to the exit 23. through which it is ejected to fall upon a belt conveyor, D. if desired, to be conveyed to the gins or elsewhere.

I have shown in Figures-2 and 3 not only my device but also have-indicated the parts. such as the separator B of a pneumatic ole-- vator and the belt D of a. belt conveyor. with which my device is especially adapted to work. I have also shown. in thoseh p ures, a. suitable driving layout, by means of which the moving parts of -my machine may be suitably driven. In Figures 2 and 3 is shown a counter shaft. a, .by means of which. the separator B, is actuated. From a pulley on this shaft (a belt (1 passes to actuate pulleys 1 and 6 secured upon the shaftsofapron 1 and roller 6, the belt movingindicated by the arrow. Fig. 3. An idler pulley. 6 is provided to give a proper engagement to the belt with pulley 6 The main working parts are driven by a belt 21" from a pnlley101 on the shaft of breaker roll 10, a pulley 102 on the other end of this shaft serving for the connection to the prime mover. The belt 21 moving as indicated by the arrow. passes over pulleys even the ends of the shafts of rollers Adjustable tightener pulleys 21 are also provided to give necessary sinuosity to the belt and control its tightness, The feed rolls9are actuated from a shaft 91, having a pulley 92 driven by a belt from a pulley 93 (see Fig. At the oppositeend of shaft 91 from that carrying the pulley 92 a small gear 94 is mounted, meshing with a large gear 95 in the end of the shaft of a roller 9. and two equal gears 96 on the ends of the shafts of rollers E), connect the two rollers for simultaneous movement. I have descrlhed these arrangements for operating my machine, but obviously other arrangements might easily be provided and the particular arrai' gemei'rt of pulleys, belts and gears not part of my invention.

The operation is as follows: Seed cotton dropped by the paddle-wheel cotton separator ii, if it is clean may be permitted to fall directly upon the belt conveyor 1) (see Fig. l), by moving: deflector board, 7), to a vertical position. if the cotton is holly or dirty. the. board 7) is adjusted as in Fig. l. and the cotton is deflected onto apron 1. moving; as indicated by the arrow. By the apron. the cotton is carried toward the inlet of the machine, passing beneath a leveller 3. This leveller may be adjusted on its pivot and set at any desired angle to the line of travel of the apron 1, and fixed in the desired position so that if the load has been unevenly deposited upon the apron it may be shifted or wedged to one side or the other as well as levelled off. The leveller is secured upon a hinged board 4 and in case of a choke occurring the board and leveller yield upwardly. Having passed the leveller 2- the cotton is engaged by roller 6 turning as indicated by the arrow and the seed cotton is passed into the chute 8 lodeing' upon the feed rolls 9. In case the incomiiie cot on exceeds the capacity of the feed rolls 5) to feed it downward. the seed cotton will accumulate in the chute 8 and as apron l androllcr ti continue to pass cotton in, the incoi'ninn' cotton will impinge upon the control board 7, pivoted in bearings in the frame of the machine, and actuating a crank arm 71. which, through a rod T2, actuates a damper of valve 0 in suction pipe C to shut off the suction and prevent further elevation of cotton until the cotton in chute .S has been in part fed down. This eliminates the necessity of an attendant watchingg continuously the operation of the machine to prevent choking, since it is impossible to so adjust the suction elevator as to deliver regularly only so much and no more cotton as the cleaner can continuously handle. By my device the elevator is from time to time as necessity arises, automatically, temporarily put out of operation and, in this way. a balance of feeding" an cleaning is attained.

The feed. rolls 9, turning inward, as indicated by the arrow, engage and compress the seed cotton into a bat which is presented to IOU the spikes of the bell breaker 10 rapidly rotating beneath the feed rolls, which hammers the bat and the bolls, breaking the latter without crushing, and carries the seed cotton downward and against the teeth of the breaker bar 11, if the bar is adjusted to project its teeth into the path of the boll breaker roller 10. Passing the roller 10 the.

seed cotton is passed over a screen 19 and is then thrown upon the first roller 21 and by the rollers 21 is urged over screens 22 to the exit.

When hard material incapable of passing between the two breaker elements, 10 and 11, has forced the teeth of breaker bar 11 out of the passage, the material will. be thrown upon screen 19 which will yield to the impact and swing open door 19 dropping the material. outside the machine.

The position of breaker bar 11 is controlled by a spring 12 attached to arm 12 and the frame of the machine, which constantly tends to turn the breaker bar to throw the teeth 11 into the path of and between the spikes 10 on the boll breaker roll 10. Arm 12 is secured to the breaker bar 11 by set screws or otherwise (see Fig. 41). Adjacent arm 12 a-second arm 13 is loosely mounted upon the breaker bar and carries a lug 13 projecting beneath arm 12 (see Fig. 6). Arm 13 is normally drawn downward by a spring 13 fast to the arm and the frame of the machine. A cable 14 is also attached to arm 13, which passes over a sheave 1 1 and is secured to a screw rod15 working in the screw threaded hub of a hand wheel 16 reacting against an abutment 17. Rotation of the hand wheel 16 will liftarm 13 and through arm 13 arm 12 will be lifted and the teeth 11 of breaker bar 11 will be more or less Withdrawn by the rotation of bar 11, the bar being held in the adjusted position. In case of the passage of some hard material past teeth 11* the teeth are free to yield, arm 12 rising against the force of spring 12 and after the passage of the hard material the teeth will return to their ad just-ed position. When it is not desired to use the teeth 11 the hand wheel 16 is retated until the teeth are withdrawn between the bars of guard 18.

The provision of the control board 7, which, through crank arm 71 and rod 72, aotuates the valve or damper 0' in suction pipe C is a feature of my machine making it substantially self controlling and rendering unnecessary the constant oversight of an attendant to prevent choking of the machine.

I claim:

1. In a boll-breaker and cotton cleaner, feed apron; a vertically yielding spreader, adjustable in a horizontal plane above the feed apron.

2. In a boll-breaker and cotton cleaner, a chute; a feed apron; a pusher roller, above the feed apron at the entrance to the chute; a control board behind the pusher roller and within the chute; connections from the control board to the cotton supply, to control the delivery of cotton to the feed apron by the movement of the control board.

3. In a boll-breaker and cotton cleaner, a chute; a boll-breaker roller beneath the chute; a rotatable toothed breaker bar to one side of the roll and cooperating therewith; yielding means tending to rotate the bar to advance the teeth toward the breaker roll; means to control the extent of advancement of the teeth.

41. In a b0ll-breaker and cotton cleaner, a chute; a boll-breaker roll beneath the chute; a yielding, pivoted discharge door beneath the breaker roll, normally closed, to receive material passed by the breaker roll and automatically opening to the application of more than a predetermined force.

Signed at Dallas, Texas this 17th day of June, 1924. 7

WILLIAM L. HANCOCK. 

